Cuba in a Global Context - Contemporary Cuba by Catherine Krull Paperback

Book Synopsis

Cuba in a Global Context examines the unlikely prominence of the island nation's geopolitical role. The contributors to this volume explore the myriad ways in which Cuba has not only maintained but often increased its reach and influence in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

From the beginning, the Castro regime established a foreign policy that would legitimize the revolutionary government, if not in the eyes of the United States at least in the eyes of other global actors. The essays in this volume shed new light on Cuban diplomacy with communist China as well as with Western governments such as Great Britain and Canada.

In recent years, Cubans have improved their lives in the face of the ongoing U.S. embargo. The promotion of increased economic and political cooperation between Cuba and Venezuela served as a catalyst for the Petrocaribe group. Links established with countries in the Caribbean and Central America have increased tourism, medical diplomacy, and food sovereignty across the region. Cuban transnationalism has also succeeded in creating people-to-people contacts involving those who have remained on the island and members of the Cuban diaspora. While the specifics of Cuba's international relations are likely to change as new leaders take over, the role of Cubans working to assert their sovereignty has undoubtedly impacted every corner of the globe.

Review Quotes

"An eclectic collection. . . . Offers refreshing new perspectives on Cuba's global impact since 1959."--International Affairs


"It is useful to have so many thoughts under one cover on such a variety of Cuba-related topics."--Journal of Latin American Studies


"Provides a range of international and interdisciplinary perspectives on the position of Cuba economically, politically and culturally in the globalising world of the early twentieth century. The list of contributors reads like a roll call of the giants of Cuba scholarship over the past 30 years. . . . A fine collection."--International Journal of Cuban Studies


"Takes a fresh look at Cuba's international relations in its attempt to survive its contentious relations with the United States and to build new bridges in the post-Cold War world."--Parameters

About the Author

Catherine Krull is dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Victoria.